Ten Seconds to Midnight
by MangetusProdigyPhoenix101
Summary: "Natalia Delgado, daughter of Frances and Natalie Delgado and grand-daughter of Grandmother Delgado. The only member of the Delgado family left and the only one involved with a former Syndicate member." Spike/OC
1. Session One: Thought

It was a normal day in the life of bounty hunter, Spike Spiegel. Nothing interesting had happened and Spike was content with that. While he did want something that he _could_ and was interested in doing, it wasn't like he was in a rush to die anyway. But, it wasn't until late afternoon that he realized that this not-so-special day was well, oh-so special.

"DAMN IT!" Spike cursed loudly, throwing something across the room. It hit the wall with a loud _thud_ and plummeted to the ground, like his heart was. How in the HELL could he forget?! How could he forget **her birthday**?! It was true that he hadn't seen her in a while, but he still remembered her birthday. Every year, he did what Spike Spiegel never did.

He sent bounty money to her every year on her birthday.

Go ahead, be shocked. Spike himself was shocked when he did it the first time. It had been an easy bounty and it had been around three hundred thousand woo-longs and he'd sent it to her after hearing that she'd opened her own shop to support herself. Who was he referring to, exactly?

Natalia Delgado. When he'd first met her, he'd still been with the Syndicate and he'd been injured in a gunfight.

_Spike breathed heavily. Blood poured from his shoulder, thigh and back. Bullets stung his skin and it took everything he had not to collapse right there. The bodies had already begun to stink and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of rotting flesh, blood, and gun powder. He coughed, feeling his nose sting at the scent. He took a step down the road he had walked down only ten minutes ago and instead of walking, he tripped and found himself face down on the concrete, looking entirely annoyed. _

_He sighed deeply. Man, both Vicious and Julia were going to kill him for getting hurt so bad. He began to feel himself pass out and sighed deeply. It was going to take some time to get back to the Syndicate, especially if he passed out...and his eyes closed._

* * *

_Spike slid his eyes open slowly, ignoring the small pieces of sunlight pouring through the window. Wait a second. A window? He forced himself to look and sure enough, there was a window. There was a dark blue sheet over it, which prevented most of the sunlight from hurting his eyes, but some poured in from the sides of it. He tried to move but instantly flinched as pain racked his body in excruciating waves._

_"Don't try to move until you're healed. It'll only cause you pain."_

_Spike blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. He immediately found himself staring into the most majestic green eyes he'd ever seen. His thoughts about leaving turned to mush and he found himself entering a daze, lost in the crystalline emerald eyes. Why was he caught? It was that look in her eyes. As he stared into her eyes, he felt like he was staring into an open book. He could see every emotion she felt in the moment just by looking in her eyes. It was something he had never seen before, even in the eyes of Julia. It was **pure honesty.** _

_"Where am I?" He asked, finally snapping out of his daze. She breathed deeply, turning her eyes to his body, where she looked over the wounds there. She pushed a strand of very lightly shaded blonde hair behind her ear before speaking._

_"Delgado Auto Shop, Mars." She replied simply. He felt smooth hands on his chest and he realized she was re-doing his bandages. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes and reset his head straight._

_"Mars, huh? So I'm still on the same planet?"_

_"Yes."_

_He opened his eyes, "Who're you?"_

_She seemed surprised by his question, as she paused in her bandaging and her eyes widened some, but she relaxed and continued her work._

_"My name is Natalia Delgado. I run this shop with Grandmother Delgado..."_

_"Don't worry, you're in safe hands." She finished._

_"Safe...hands..." Spike murmured, finding his eyes slowly closing, his vision of her blurring, and he slipped into a peaceful sleep._

"Natalia Delgado, age 25, daughter of Frances and Natalie Delgado and grand-daughter of Grandmother Delgado. The only member of the Delgado family left and the only one involved with a former Syndicate member." Spike spoke slowly, allowing himself to picture what Natalia would look like. He hadn't seen her in a long time and he had no idea what she would look like.

Instantly, the comical image of the blonde and blue-eyed irritable teenager looking much like a woman with terrible make-up and a skimpy dress flashed before his eyes.

He burst up laughing uncontrollably.

Natalia was a tomboy; always had been. He remembered how she would spend most of her days sitting out on the front porch rocking in the swing, cooking or caring for him, or the more likely, working on her prototype limbs. You see, Natalia was a mechanic and she made prosthetics, usually for veterans. This included Jet Black, which Spike had learned in recent years.

When she couldn't sleep at night, she'd go and work on her prosthetics. When she was having personal problems, she'd go work on her prosthetics. When she was having problems with him, she'd go work on her prosthetics. Sounded funny, but it was true.

Still, none of these thoughts resolved his dilemma. He didn't have any woo-longs that he could send and he didn't have any gifts to give her. Wait—! It had been several years since he'd last seen her, Jet could use some maintenance on his arm, **and** Spike just felt like getting out of the Bebop.

"Hey, Jet! Let's go to Mars!"


	2. Session Two: Meeting—Again

The time it took to travel to Mars was far shorter than the time it took to find the Delgado family house.

Spike stared, annoyed, at the large pile of burnt wood. The door was the only thing standing and even that wobbled. Spike adjusted the cigarette in his mouth as Jet copied the action as well.

"Eh, Spike?" Jet asked finally.

"Yeah?" Spike responded, unamused.

"Where is the house?"

"Lying burnt to the ground."

"Thought so."

Three hours later, they finally made it back from the outskirts of the town that the Delgado house had been on. Exhausted, Jet decided to go find a hotel and rent it. However, Spike was feeling anxious (though he wouldn't admit it) and decided to keep looking. Wandering through town and looking for a sign that said 'SPIKE, NATALIA'S HERE', he continued to smoke his cigarette as he walked along, looking bored and tired. His muscles ached and while his brain kept telling him to go to the hotel, his heart made him keep walking. He found himself standing on a doorstep of a large inn-like building. He chanced a look at the sign and it read Amore Inn & Cafe. He peered in the window and noticed there was a sign that said 'Open' and a bar. With a sigh, he pushed the heavy door open, stepped in and heard the door shut rather quietly behind him. He glanced around and noticed how dead the place was.

'Business must be bad.' He thought.

Walking up the counter and seeing no one there, he laid a few woo-longs on the counter and glanced around. Noticing a bell, he reached for it and rang it. He waited for someone to emerge, keeping his head down. After all, he was _from_ Mars. He listened as someone came out, but still didn't lift his head. That is, until he heard a voice.

"My, my, isn't it my _favorite_ customer?"

His head snapped up, surprise (and maybe shock) evident on his handsome features, and he found himself starring into the rather beautiful face of Natalia Delgado.

"Hiya, Spikes!" She greeted with a casual smile, using the nickname he despised. Nevertheless, the way it rolled off her tongue and the way her accent complimented it was beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful...

Spike blushed some as he looked her over. Her eyes were still that beautiful august emerald green, and the honesty within them was still there, even more evident now. Her hair was long, straight and cascaded down her back. It was a darker shade now, but had some light yellow highlights. Her skin was a darker shade than before; less pale. She wore a simple blue sleeveless top that hugged her slender sides and proportionate hips, a pair of simple faded blue jeans which were torn around knees, and her usual set of worn-down red sneakers. Her chest was also—

"Hey, Spike!"

"Huh?" Spike blinked and brought his eyes away from her chest. She rolled her eyes at him and raised a perfect blonde eyebrow.

"You checkin' me out already, Spikey?" She teased. He blushed and looked away.

"Shut up."

She chuckled and stood up straight.

"Well, what can I get ya?"

"Just water."

She raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless poured him some water. She eyed him as he drank it in one gulp, before allowing her to pour him more from the crystal glass pitcher.

"So what are you doing here?"

Spike let out the smoke from his mouth.

"I actually came to collect a bounty." Spike lied.

"Really now? A bounty hunter? That explains the less-than-normal 'gift' from last year."

He chuckled.

"Yeah." Spike took another drag, "I got away from the Syndicate."

She smiled and Spike's heart thumped in his chest although he'd never admit it.

Spike gestured to the empty building around him.

"What happened to the auto shop?"

She shrugged and gently grabbed her apron, wiping the counter as she looked around.

"I couldn't afford it. We lost customers and..." She bit her lip and Spike saw sadness crawl into those amazing green eyes, "Grandma died."

Spike's eyes widened and he slammed his hand down, scaring her. He leaned forward, staring into her shocked face.

"The old hag is dead?!"

She deadpanned at his "old hag" deal, but nevertheless nodded.

"Cancer."

Spike relaxed some, returning to his seat.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She said with a small smile, before continuing with her talk from earlier, "After Grandma died, we lost clients because no-one believed I had studied enough to service them. So with the three thousand woolongs you sent last year and the little money I had left, I bought this place and started the Amore Inn and Cafe."

"You always had a taste for Italian, Natalia."

She winked at him.

"That's right."

"Well you could've told me you burned the house down."

She blinked, confusion crawling onto her features.

"What are you talking about? I didn't burn the house down..."

* * *

"Thanks for doing this, Natalia." Spike said from his comfortable position on the bed. She looked over at him with soft green eyes and a smile.

"Yeah. I don't have anyone else to rent it to."

"Hey Natalia, are you sure you can do the maintenance on my arm tonight?" Jet asked, entering the room suddenly, "I mean, why not wait 'till tomorrow?"

Natalia smiled, "If I know Spike—and believe me I do—he'll want to get out of here as soon as possible, so I'll fix it up tonight."

"Why would _I_ be in such a hurry to leave? There's actual peace around here." Spike said pointedly. Natalia rolled her eyes.

"Alright fine, you two. I'll wait until tomorrow to fix it." She said, exiting and leaving Jet and Spike alone.

"Spike, you sleep with her and I will shoot you dead. I don't care how many lives you got!"

Spike smirked at Jet's protective attitude.

"Don't worry. I'll kiss her first." Spike said with a wink, "Besides, I don't rape."


	3. Session Three: Age

Spike awoke the next morning to the heavenly smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. He didn't even bother to open his eyes all the way before getting out of bed. With the beautiful scent of fluffy pancakes guiding him, he staggered down the hall, the stairs and into the kitchen. Natalia greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning, Spikes!" She cheered, putting a coffee cup on the island. He smiled groggily and staggered, barely managing to make it to the counter. He took a long drink of the hot coffee and sighed dreamily.

"Best coffee ever..." He said slowly, still exhausted. She turned and winked at him before returning to the grill. It was then that Spike noticed Jet's arm in the corner of the room, sitting on her desk by the exit of the kitchen. Wrenches, bolts, and other tools were strewn out across the table along with her own coffee cup.

"You worked on Jet's arm." He said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Yeah. I got up real early so I decided to work on it." She put three large, brown, and fluffy pancakes on a plate, then added two pieces of bacon and a yoke egg before passing it to him.

"Eh, what's that smell?"

"Good morning, Jet!" She cheered as she twirled around, the white apron following her movements. She seized a full coffee cup and placed it beside Spike.

Damn, she was prepared!

Jet smiled just as Spike had and slowly plopped down beside him.

"Good morning to you too, Nat." He replied with a goofy look and a sip of his coffee.

"I worked on your arm and it looks like I'll have to change the bolts and put some oil in the spaces, but apart from that, it's great." Natalia explained as she fixed up one more plate, this time putting two eggs and three bacon pieces on it. As she set it down in front of Jet, Spike frowned and looked over at her, noticing she had turned back to the griddle.

"Hey, Natalia?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you give Jet more?" Spike asked with an entirely serious expression on his face. She turned to him slowly and he swore he saw it in slow motion.

"If you want to complain, Spike Spiegel, then you can go get your ass outside and work for more!"

Spike instantly gulped loudly, glancing over at Jet, who looked on with amusement.

"N-no, I'm cool with this, but can I have seconds?" He closed his eyes, expecting her to yell at him.

"That's fine!" She said in an all-too-innocent and sweet voice.

She turned back to the griddle to cook more pancakes and Jet leaned over with a wide smirk.

"Looks like I found Spike Spiegel's weakness."

"Shut up, Jet."

* * *

It had been a long day. Natalia had forced (scared) Spike into working for her. He had picked the apples from the trees, cut the firewood, and gone shopping in town for dinner (which was chicken enchiladas because she wanted it to be special). He could only think about the apple pie she was going to make and drooled at the thought of eating it and kicking Jet's ass for his comment.

Spike adjusted the cigarette in his mouth and opened an eye to look at Natalia. She definitely looked older and more beautiful—err mature—. Spike didn't understand why he was thinking the way he was. She had to be much younger than him—he'd never asked her age—and he was thinking she was beautiful. God, he felt stupid.

"Natalia?" He asked.

"What?" She replied, keeping her eyes on the apple pie crust before her.

"How **old** are you?"

He didn't mean to make it sound as bad as he did. He felt really, really rude after he said it but she replied in a sweet tone.

"Twenty-seven."

He nearly died of embarrassment.

"Why?"

"Just curious." He said calmly, although he felt like he was dying on the inside.


	4. Session Four: Targeted

**Targeted**

Spike stared down at the paper, wondering what it could mean.

"_odagleD ailataN_" was clearly printed on the paper, right above "legeips ekips". He stared and stared, trying to figure out what they meant. The paper had come in the mail in an envelope reading "Rosa Delgado", which was Natalia's grandmother. It said at the top of the letter that she was going to lose the two things listed below but Spike couldn't figure out what they were. However, as Spike continued to look, he noticed the smallest of things."The D in that one is capitalized, like its meant to be the beginning of a..." Spike trailed off as he quickly noticed what he had been looking for all along. He quickly scrambled for a piece of paper and pen. Once found, he wrote what he thought the words were and his eyes narrowed as his suspicions were confirmed.

He stood stiffly, his hands grabbing at his Jericho. Natalia had just left for town thirty minutes ago! He ran out the door, running as fast as he could.

Clearly printed on the paper he left behind:

_Natalia Delgado _

_Spike Spiegel_

* * *

Natalia walked slowly through the small town. Earth had changed a lot in the last fifty years. There was very little left, mainly because of the random meteors but people still found peace. The town were she lived was once a great city called Chicago, but now it was run down and mostly destroyed. Still, people smiled and greeted her as she passed.

She had everything she needed for dinner, and was currently heading home. She was entirely unnoticing of the new men following closely behind her, and continued to walk, a naive smile on her kind features. It wasn't until she was walking down an alleyway that she finally noticed them, and even then, it wasn't in a good way. Natalia felt herself be seized from behind and the grocery bags she had flew out of her startled hands and hit the dirty ground. She found herself desperately struggling.

Why had she taken an alleyway? It was a shortcut to the road home, but how stupid was she?!

Natalia successfully hit the man behind her with her elbow and tried to make a run for it, but found herself pinned up against the brick wall by the second man she hadn't noticed. She tried to scream, but he quickly covered her mouth. They were in the bright light of day after all, well, sort-of. The first man quickly recovered from her weak attempt at getting away and joined his partner beside her, kicking aside the groceries to get to her.

"What should we do with her?"

"The boss just said to kill her."

"Can't we torture her first?"

"Boss said not to make a mess."

"We won't."

Natalia glanced fearfully around, hoping someone would help her. God, god! She could feel the fear, and guilt, and...

She heard a loud unbuckling sound and adrenaline dug its icy claws into her veins and heart. She began to struggle, even as she felt her back and neck scrape a little on the brick wall behind her. She roughly swung her leg up, successfully catching the one holding her right where she wanted to: between his legs. His partner, who had begun undoing his pants, scrambled to get after her as she darted for the end of the alleyway; the way she'd came. She could see the bright lights of the sun shining down on the street! She was almost ther-!

She felt her wrist be grabbed and she was yanked back again. She flinched as she was thrown against the other brick wall. There began the headache...Her headache quickly went ignored as she felt a firm grip hold her neck. She reached up, grabbing at his wrist and trying to get free. She could feel her lungs withering up, or at least it felt like it and her neck felt like it was being crushed.

Just when it seemed like the end...

"Let her go." The familiar click of a Jericho 941 made the man pause. He chanced a look at the person behind him and noticed his partner knocked out with a bleeding nose. He refused to release his grip on Natalia's throat though and instead pressed more into it, making her cough loudly.

"Let...her...go." Spike spoke slowly, making his words more threatening than before. He placed his finger on the trigger of the Jericho and adjusted it against his head.

"If you don't let her go, I will blow your brain matter across these walls. Now, let her go!"

He released her neck and she gasped loudly, sliding down the wall. She gently touched her neck, which was purple and had his hand-print clear on it. She looked up at the man and noticed Spike still had the gun to his head.

"Why are you targeting Natalia and Spike?" Spike referred to himself in third person in order to avoid the guy knowing he was Spike.

"Because!" The guy responded simply.

"Because...?" Spike asked with raised eyebrows.

"Because Natalia's grandmother spit on my boss! She didn't pay for the house my boss built for her!"

"All this over a house? I doubt it."

Spike moved to pull the trigger.

"Don't!" Natalia abruptly grabbed hold of his hand, preventing him from pulling the trigger. He looked over at her confused.

"Don't...don't shoot." She pulled his hand away from the man's head. Why did Spike let her do that?

"Why not?" He demanded dryly.

"Because you're not a killer, Spike." She said quietly.

"I'll get you!" They both glanced over at the man who Spike _had_ put his gun on, who was running away with his partner over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Spike went to go after him but Natalia quickly embraced him from behind, tightly gripping him and successfully holding him in place.

"Stop, Spike!" She begged, tears gathering on the edges of her eyes. Spike stared down at her worried and scared face. He sighed and relaxed, but she kept her arms around him.

"Fine." He muttered.


	5. Session Five: Bebop Woman

Spike could not believe his ears, or his eyes for that matter. The determined face of Natalia Delgado filled his vision as he stared down into her emerald eyes. Her face was entirely blank of any regret or hesitation at her words and Spike swallowed thickly, trying to bring his voice back.

"W-what did you say?" He asked, hating how he stuttered. She huffed at him, annoyed that he didn't been paying attention (she thought he hadn't).

"_I said_ I'll make you a deal. I'll give you repairs and make you food if you let me join your 'team'." She repeated herself and her repeating it only made the shock worse. He couldn't believe she had said that, _twice_.

"No." Spike found his words, regaining his composure and stepping away from him. He felt her angry eyes on him as he sat down, taking a drink of the alcohol in the clear, white glass. She sat down across from him, taking her coffee cup between her hands.

"Why not?" She asked. He flinched slightly at the question, even though he had been expecting it. Why couldn't Natalia join his team? You, the reader, might think exactly what she said: why not? It's not like she'll be in any _real _danger, especially if she was with Spike. Right? Well, you're wrong. Spike knew that if she was with him, she'd demand to help out on the bounties and probably ask for a gun (he wouldn't doubt her at this point). He wouldn't give her a gun, let alone let her go as far as to even get on the Bebop. Natalia was just to kind and sweet for a job like being a bounty hunter and although he wouldn't admit it, a part of him was terrified to the bone of putting her in danger; putting her in the line of fire...

"Answer me, Spike!" She demanded, snapping him out of his thoughts. To avoid being read since she was the only one who could do that, Spike avoided her eyes as he explained, or at least half-explained.

"Look, it's just not a good place for you out there, on the front lines. I don't care if you're in the kitchen making beef stew, you're still in danger. Anyone who gets involved with me instantly becomes a target."

Natalia looked down and Spike noticed it out of the corner of his eye. Her blonde hair covered her eyes and her fingers tightened around the cup.

"I've been involved with you for a long time now, Spike, and you've never acted like this before." Spike locked his eyes on her form. "Why now? Is it because I finally asked to be by your side, to join your little 'team' and help you? The best I've been able to do for you is heal your wounds when you show up here, but I'm tired of only seeing you every couple of years, Spike, I don't..."

She trailed off and Spike noticed small tears begin to streak down her face.

"I want to help you."

"Don't cry, damn it. It's not like I was saying no..." Her head flew up, the tears quickly disappearing. "Exactly..."

In seconds, he found that she had got up from her hair and hugged him tightly. He dropped the glass cup and it shattered against the linoleum floor. She didn't pay any mind to it as she hugged him tightly, her face buried into his shoulder.

"Thanks, Spike." She whispered.

Not sure where to put his hands, Spike just gently patted the back of her head and blushed slightly at the position (and at how soft her hair was :3).

* * *

The following day, Spike decided it was time to leave Mars.

"Okay, let's go." Spike looked over to Natalia, who had just joined him in the hallway to the door. She had only three suitcases with her and the most of the house was still full. Spike silently wondered what she would do with all the stuff. Was she just going to leave it behind? Most of the stuff was scrap metal, broken tools and glass, and plants that Grandma Rosa used to grow which were wilted now.

"Are you sure about this, Nat?" He asked her, using the nickname he had given her. She smiled sadly and nodded.

"Yeah. If I stay here, I'll never move on, y'know?" She looked behind her, gazing around at the old wood walls and inhaled the scent of pine which screamed home to her.

"She'd want me to leave with you anyway." Spike blinked as she looked back at him and grinned cheeky. "To keep you out of trouble!"

"Hey! I don't get in trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah sure. Trouble **follows **you wherever you go!" They continued to argue as they walked out the door of the house that Natalia had called home for twenty-seven years. Now she had a new place to call home, and that was by Spike's side.


	6. Session Six: Asteroid Blues

_**Asteroid Blues**_

_My name is Natalia Delgado. I'm 27 years old, and I'm a Cowboy, regardless of whether Spike wants me to be or not. We had an argument this morning about it. He kept (keeps) saying that Grandma Delgado is probably "rolling over in her grave out of horror at what her granddaughter is doing". I don't understand why he is so against it. Jet approved, though he later took me aside and gave me a gun, asking me if I knew how to use it and to "be careful out there". Either way, I'm going to definitely have issues with Spike for a few days._

_See you around, Space Cowboy_

Natalia finished the entry just as someone knocked loudly on the bathroom door. Okay, so maybe writing in a journal in the bathroom was weird, but it was the only "peaceful" place in the Bebop. She sighed heavily and opened the door. Instantly, an annoyed expression crossed her features as she stared into the grinning face of Spike Spiegel.

"Having problems stimulating yourself, Nat?"

She rolled her eyes at his sexual joke and stood stiffly, stashing the book behind her back and then proceeding to shove past him. He obviously didn't expect for her to still be mad and tried to yell after her but she continued to walk, ignoring him.

He sighed heavily.

"Just another day in Paradise." He muttered to himself.

* * *

It was another day on the Bebop. Jet was cooking in the kitchen, Spike was practicing his martial arts, and Natalia was fixing up Spike's Swordfish, as always. A cigarette from Spike's pack stuck between her lips, she worked tirelessly on the ship, hoping to have it fixed by the time he wanted to wreck it again. Her lips were creased in a firm line, out of annoyance and to keep the cigarette between her lips. She had changed her attire, as she always did when she worked, and wore a simple pair of light blue pants decorated with zippers across the fabric, a rather skimpy brown zip-up vest, and she had tied her hair up with a black, "alligator" clip as her grandmother called them. A set of goggles was set on her eyes and a wrench with blood stains was in her hands as she fixed one of the bolts. However, she heard a loud clanking sound and listened as he spoke.

"Hey, Natalie, dinner's ready."

She smiled and pushed herself out from another the ship to look at the thirty-five year old man.

"Let me guess. Bell peppers and beef?"

He smirked.

"Yep."

"Thanks, Jet."

"Your welcome, Natalie."

She sighed deeply as he exited and stood, brushing her dark black hands off on her pants. She grabbed the cigarette out of her mouth and put it out, using the side of the Swordfish to put it out. She then stashed the butt in her toolbox. She then rushed after Jet, hoping to get to the food before Spike did. After all, he was going to complain about it being "bell peppers and beef".

"Asimov Solensan; he's our next target." Jet began.

"Uh, Listen, Jet." Spike spoke, poking at his food with his chopsticks. Natalia sweat-dropped at his actions before directing her attention to Jet once more.

"This guy's a major player in the Syndicate, operates all around the asteroids." Jet continued, ignoring Spike, possibly unintentionally.

"You said bell peppers and beef." Spike continued what he was saying.

"His name is Asimov Solensan. Are you listening to me?" Jet demanded.

"There's no beef in here, so you wouldn't really call it bell peppers and beef, now would you?" Spike asked.

"Yes, I would."

"WELL, ITS NOT!" Spike yelled.

"Spike, shut up!" Natalia barked at him.

"It is when you're broke, alright?" Jet sighed.

"What happened to the million woo long reward we got for the last guy?" Spike asked.

"The repair bill for that cruiser you wrecked." Jet began, making Natalia sigh.

_'Here they go again...'_ She sighed heavily and stood, walking over to the stairs and sitting down, feeling more comfortable now that she was away from them though she could still hear them. It was just like Jet to put Spike down by mentioning the things that he destroyed. She refused to listen until the word _mechanic_ popped up.

"And, we had to pay our mechanic."

She blinked and looked over, recalling that Jet had indeed mentioned paying her for performing the repairs on both Spike's ship, the Bebop, and Jet's arm, even though she had objected more than once.

"Why did you have to pay her?!"

"Because she's repairing our ships and dealing with your crap!" Jet spoke quite loudly, and made Natalia quickly shrink away. She didn't bother to pay attention to what they were saying as she walked off to her room, closing the door with her foot. She sighed and put some "bell peppers and beef" in her mouth. She sat down on the small couch against the far wall and continued to eat, wondering if they would ever stop arguing.

* * *

The bounty was over and Spike and Natalia still had yet to resolve their argument. Natalia had stayed within her room the entirety of the bounty, though she had assisted very briefly by coordinating Spike's ship (he had no idea). Spike wasn't training where he usually was, and he was instead smoking in the pilot shuttle. Natalia remained in her room, refusing to come out for dinner.

_It's the end of a bounty. All is quiet in the Bebop. It's bell peppers and beef again. I have to admit, bell peppers and beef used to be rather annoying but now its just a Bebop thing. Its our personal element,'y know and it can't be taken by anyone else. It just a Bebop thing and no one can take that away. I'll never miss bell peppers and beef, ever. _

**_See you around, Space Cowboy_**


End file.
